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Local Marine brings home dog from Afghanistan

Maj. Rose Griffith stands with Claire in Afghanistan. Griffith paid for Claire to come to Hendersonville, where Claire had a litter of puppies.

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By Jessica GoodmanTimes-News Staff Writer

Published: Friday, January 6, 2012 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, January 6, 2012 at 12:14 a.m.

During her tour of duty in Afghanistan from October 2010 to May 2011, Maj. Rose Griffith was the only female Marine in a 58-person post in an area of Helmand, Southern Afghanistan.

So she forged a bond with the only other girl on base — an Afghan dog the Marines named Claire.

"She stayed on the base. She also went out on patrol with us," Griffith said. Claire wasn't a pet, but a friend and companion.

When her tour ended, Griffith kept in touch with others at the post. She said smaller posts were starting to be closed down, and Claire and two other dogs were going to be left behind. With the help of British charity Nowzad Charity, an organization set up to rescue animals from Afghanistan, Griffith began the process of getting the dog out.

Griffith and her family members were able to raise $4,000 to transport Claire to her new home in Hendersonville. In August, Claire was taken to an animal rescue in Kabul, where she received care and shots. The dog then arrived in the United States Oct. 15, and Griffith was there to pick her up from the Atlanta airport.

There was only one complication — Claire's seven puppies were born Oct. 21.

"A friend volunteered to take care of the dog while I was away (at training)," Griffith said. "And then she was taking care of eight dogs."

Of the seven puppies, all but one has been adopted, and Griffith wants to find him a home.

"We call him Noah, but his nickname is ‘Fluffy Butt,' because he's just so fluffy," Griffith said with a laugh. Griffith said Noah gets anxious around new people.

"We've been trying to introduce him to all these strangers (to alleviate the fear)," Griffith said.

Afghan dogs are unique. They are raised to be guardians and will protect herding animals as well as people. They have a deep bark to scare off predators and get pretty big.

"Claire is 65 pounds, but she's skinny," Griffith said.

Griffith, a Marine reservist for 13 years, is currently stationed at Camp Pendleton in California. She will be sent back to Afghanistan in February to serve for a year. She's originally from South Dakota, but settled in Hendersonville after serving on Marine bases in North Carolina.

<p>During her tour of duty in Afghanistan from October 2010 to May 2011, Maj. Rose Griffith was the only female Marine in a 58-person post in an area of Helmand, Southern Afghanistan.</p><p>So she forged a bond with the only other girl on base — an Afghan dog the Marines named Claire.</p><p>"She stayed on the base. She also went out on patrol with us," Griffith said. Claire wasn't a pet, but a friend and companion.</p><p>When her tour ended, Griffith kept in touch with others at the post. She said smaller posts were starting to be closed down, and Claire and two other dogs were going to be left behind. With the help of British charity Nowzad Charity, an organization set up to rescue animals from Afghanistan, Griffith began the process of getting the dog out.</p><p>Griffith and her family members were able to raise $4,000 to transport Claire to her new home in Hendersonville. In August, Claire was taken to an animal rescue in Kabul, where she received care and shots. The dog then arrived in the United States Oct. 15, and Griffith was there to pick her up from the Atlanta airport.</p><p>There was only one complication — Claire's seven puppies were born Oct. 21.</p><p>"A friend volunteered to take care of the dog while I was away (at training)," Griffith said. "And then she was taking care of eight dogs."</p><p>Of the seven puppies, all but one has been adopted, and Griffith wants to find him a home.</p><p>"We call him Noah, but his nickname is 'Fluffy Butt,' because he's just so fluffy," Griffith said with a laugh. Griffith said Noah gets anxious around new people.</p><p>"We've been trying to introduce him to all these strangers (to alleviate the fear)," Griffith said.</p><p>Afghan dogs are unique. They are raised to be guardians and will protect herding animals as well as people. They have a deep bark to scare off predators and get pretty big.</p><p>"Claire is 65 pounds, but she's skinny," Griffith said.</p><p>Griffith, a Marine reservist for 13 years, is currently stationed at Camp Pendleton in California. She will be sent back to Afghanistan in February to serve for a year. She's originally from South Dakota, but settled in Hendersonville after serving on Marine bases in North Carolina.</p><p>"I ended up living there because of the mountains," she said.</p><p>Anyone interested in adopting Noah can call 828-775-8953.</p><p>Reach Goodman at 828-694-7867 or jessica.goodman@blueridgenow.com.</p>